This is our final leg of the Chesapeake to the C & D Canal. With my new way of uploading pictures to the blog I am having to do this day in two parts. We have a total of 53 miles today from Rock Hall MD to Bear DE.
At this point we turn into the Elk River and follow this route into the C & D Canal. Very pretty with the hills to the west and the gently rolling countryside to the east.
At this point we turn into the Elk River and follow this route into the C & D Canal. Very pretty with the hills to the west and the gently rolling countryside to the east.
Beautiful homes on the river
Most have screened in porches
The 14-mile-long C & D Canal connects Chesapeake Bay with Delaware Bay. The cut is at sea level with no locks and no toll. It first opened in 1829 at a cost of $2.5 million with four locks and six-mule teams to pull towboats through.
Today the US Army Corps of Engineers manage the canal and it is 450 feet wide with a controlling depth of 35 feet. The maximum allowable length of a self-propelled vessel transiting the canal is 886 feet (Boy....that was close but we were under the max).
Cargo ships and military vessels from all over the world pass through the canal. More than 15 million tons of cargo passes through the C & D Canal each year and, in one month, roughly 175 ships, 400 tugs, 480 barges and a stream of recreational craft enter the canal. The only potential hazard is occasional debris carried in from Delaware Bay.
A dispatcher at Chesapeake City controls ship traffic by using red and green flashing lights. At Town Point where we entered if the light is flashing green small boats may pass through. If the light is flashing red you call the dispatcher on channel 13 for permission to pass through.
There are 6 bridges and an overhead gas pipeline that cross the canal. Conrail Lift Bridge is 45 feet when closed and the others are fixed and have a vertical clearance of at least 132 feet.
Where is the green light......Captain calls the Dispatcher and we are told.....there are no ships coming our way....."You are OK to go and watch your wake Captain"
140-foot high Chesapeake City Bridge
Delaware Defender
One of the tugboats that the ships follow thru the Canal
A place to eat, drink and watch the ships go by
South Chesapeake City
Bayard House Restaurant
Interesting little tugs
Chesapeake Inn and Marina
Where are the ships????
Lighthouse like the one on Turkey Point
Canal Control Station
Part of the Staton
Bridge Two getting a face-lift
Covered well
Summit North Marina is half-way thru the canal
Ship Store
Smoked Gouda Lobster & Crab Mac at Aqua Sol
Paella is the Chef's Recommendation
We had a few sprinkles today, little wind and didn't encounter any "large" ships.....just a few speedboats seeing how fast they could go by a trawler....Summit North Marina is laid-back and we will spend the 4th of July here and wait for a window to go down Delaware Bay.
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